Thought Leadership

NEMA’s white papers give you something to think about. Each one tackles a tough issue, usually based on input of museum professionals, always designed to provide you with a fresh perspective on your own museum practices.

Essential Leadership: Investigating the Future of Museum Governance

In the summer of 2014, NEMA took up the subject of governance as part of a workshop series entitled “Essential Leadership: Investigating the Future of Museum Governance.” The series, undertaken with the sponsorship and participation of U.S. Trust/Bank of America, attracted the participation of more than 100 museum CEOs and board members in six locations around New England.

What is the future of museum governance? Our “Essential Leadership” workshop participants shared many predictions. Now you can read a white paper that shares these predictions.

Museums, Inc. White Paper

In the summer of 2012 NEMA conducted a series of six leadership workshops throughout New England. The series, titled "Museums, Inc.: Mapping a Strategy for the Museum Field," engaged more than 100 museum directors and senior staff in an exercise in which they, for a day, became the leadership team of Museums, Inc., a fictional, multinational nonprofit corporation operating the world's museums.

Now you can read a white paper that shares the "Museums, Inc." experience and sheds light on how our region's leaders view the future of museums globally. You might be shocked and amazed with some of the suggestions!

Museum Futures: Place Your Bet

In the fall of 2012 NEMA's executive director, Dan Yaeger, gave three presentations and compiled a white paper on "Museum Futures." The purpose of each presentation was to give a “state of the museum field” snapshot for 2012, and speculate on where we’re headed.

During that year, our NEMA community spent much time in such speculation, trying to anticipate trends, identify opportunities, and create innovative approaches to running a museum. The NEMA work-shop season was filled with glimpses of the future, including “Museums, Inc.: Mapping a Strategy for the Museum Field,” our six-part series of leadership events for museum CEOs and senior staff. Our 2012 future studies culminated at the NEMA conference, which inspired many of us with the theme “Pushing the Envelope: Innovation and the Future of Museums.”

So for those who missed out on the workshops and conference, reading this paper will perhaps help bring you a taste of what we talked about. And for those who were part of the “live audience” in Rhode Island, Maine, and Vermont, thanks for your attention and feedback.

Spot Check on the Paycheck

In 2012, NEMA analyzed 25 years of museum salary data from its New England Salary and Benefits Survey. The report compares growth in museum salaries compared with national averages, observes trends, and provides a glimpse of which museum positions have fared better than others over time.